On the fourth day of ongoing five days Krishak Mela, being organized by SKUAST-Jammu, an impressive dog show was the main attraction in which ninety two enthusiastic pet owners registered themselves for the mega event, a unique event in Jammu region. Twenty-six registered dog breeds owned by pet lovers participated in the event. Prof. J.P. Sharma, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu was the Chief Guest and Col. Mahan Singh, DDC , Kathua was the Guest of Honor in the prize distribution ceremony of the Dog Show. The show was being judged by Dr. C.S. Randhawa and Dr. Dheeraj Kumar. Overall championship prize went to ‘Falcon’ a German Shepherd dog breed owned by Mr. Anshu Bhat while in the category of most attractive dog, prizes were shared by Doberman of Rajnikant and Dogo Argentina of Taranpreet Kour. Prize for the most catchy dog went to Siberian Husky. The convenor of this mega event was Dr. Jasvinder Singh Soodan , Dean , Faculty of Dairy Technology cum Prof. & Head Division of Veterinary Clinical Complex, SKUAST-Jammu. The show was sponsored by vet pharma companies namely Vetoquinoles, Drools, Pedigree, Wiggles, Vetina, Amil Health Care, Sniffles, Himalayas, Rossaryv etc.
A session on Live Stock Feed Management and Oilseeds & Pulses production was organized under the chairmanship of Dr. S. K. Gupta, Director Extension, SKUAST-Jammu. Dr. R.K. Sharma, Professor & Head, Animal Nutrition delivered a lecture on the topic ‘Balanced ration for livestock using locally available ingredients’ while Dr. Ankur Rastogi, Prof. Division of Animal Nutrition talked about ‘Feed Management–A tool for balancing nutrients on dairies and livestock operations. Dr. Rajeev Sangra. Sr. Scientist, Agronomy spoke on Prospects of Oil Seeds in Jammu region while Dr. Brij Nandan, Chief Scientist (Agronomy) PRSS, Samba gave a lecture on ‘Prospects of Rabi pulses in Jammu region’. State level seminar on ‘Sustainable Livelihood and Nutritional Security under Changing Climate Scenario in N-W Himalayas’ sponsored by JK Science Technology and Innovation Council, Govt. J&K was organized under the Chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Pardeep Wali, Director Research, SKUAST-Jammu. Dr. P. K. Rai, Chief Scientist and Convener of the seminar welcomed Chief Guest and other dignitaries. He also briefed the audience about the activities to be carried out in daylong seminar.
A Kisan Gosthi was also organised under the chairmanship of Dr. Parmod Baru, Former Director Extension and Dr. Rakesh Nanda, Director Education. Various speakers deliberated on different topics for the benefits of the farmers in which Dr. Sanjay Khajuria, Chief Scientist, KVK, Samba talked on the topic ‘Agroforestry for the livelihood security of farmers of Jammu region’; Dr. Pranav Kumar, Assistant Prof, Division of Veterinary & A.H. Extension Education delivered a talk on ‘Cattle dung based entrepreneurial opportunities; Dr. Anil Bhat Assistant Professor, DoAE& ABM spoke on ‘Role of FPOs and SHGs in Farmers Welfare’; Dr. Neeraj Gupta, Associate Professor, Division of Food Science highlighted the importance of ‘Value addition of Aonla’; Dr. Harsh Sharma, Professor, Division of Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology spoke on Clean milk production and Dr. Prem Kumar, Scientist KVK, Jammu talked on Fish Farming Scope & Importance in Jammu region.
During the mela, certificates to participants of National Commission for Women (NCW), GoI, New Delhi sponsored five days training programme on “Empowering women through livestock farming” organized by Division of Veterinary Extension Education, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, R.S Pura was also distributed by the dignitaries.
A session was organized on Climate Smart Agriculture and KVIB under the chairmanship of Dr. S. K. Gupta, Registrar, SKUAST-Jammu wherein Dr. A. P. Singh, Professor, Agronomy delivered a lecture on ‘Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security’; Dr. Vijay Bharti, Professor, Agronomy gave a talk on ‘Soil and Water Management in Climate Smart Agriculture’ and Dr. Meenakshi Gupta Professor, Agronomy spoke on Precision Agriculture.
Simultaneously, to attract more youth and farmers in Krishak Mela, rural sports competitions on tug of war, volley ball, athletic events, kabaddi, basketball etc were also the organized. In the evening, a cultural programme was also organized wherein Dr. Heena Shafi Bhat, Vice-Chairperson, KVIB was the Chief Guest and artists of Seva Bharti performed in the programme.
